With recent functional advances in image processing apparatuses, the user operation of inputting setting values has become complicated. To facilitate the setting value input operation, various methods have been proposed.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-295274 proposes a method of storing setting values input by the user in advance as a file and invoking the file in image processing. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-341445 proposes a method of, when inputting setting values, recording input operation performed by the user using a so-called macro function, and reproducing the input operation in image processing.
When, for example, only some setting items to be input are to be changed and set, the method in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-295274 requires an operation of storing the target setting items (those that are to be changed) as a separate file. According to the method in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-341445, the target setting items must be recorded by additionally performing an input operation. These requires degrade user friendliness, and it is desired to facilitate input operation by the user even in this case.
The above methods cannot apply a file stored in a specific image processing apparatus to an image processing apparatus having different functions, or reproduce an input operation recorded by a specific image processing apparatus in an image processing apparatus having different functions. The user must execute the setting value input operation again for an image processing apparatus having different functions, resulting in poor user friendliness.